CDU meeting for vote on new party leader has begun

After 18 years Merkel&DiacriticalAcute;s reign has ended

Today the CDU will be voting on who will be succeeding Angela Merkel as party leader after she had been the CDU&DiacriticalAcute;s strongest woman for 18 years&period; Candidates for the spot are CDU secretary general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer&comma; health minister Jens Spahn

Hamburg - For over 18 years Angela Merkel has ruled the CDU - now her reign is coming to an end. At the party meeting in Hamburg CDU secretary general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer&comma; federal health minister Jens Spahn and ex union faction leader Friedrich Merz are candidating for the spot as party leader.

Experts expect a battle between Merz and Kramp-Karrenbauer. In polls taken before the election Spahn was far behind with almost no chance to win the election. Winner is whoever gets most of the votes&comma; if there is no winner after the first vote the top two candidates get a revote.